Some exercises are performed without the use of supplemental equipment. For example, a person may perform sit-ups or crunches to strengthen his or her abdominal muscles without the use of supplemental equipment. However, sit-ups and crunches may only work a limited region of the abdominal muscles. As another example, a person may walk, jog, or run without the use of specialized equipment.
Other exercises may be performed with supplemental equipment. The supplemental equipment may be designed to enhance the workout and/or to make the workout more comfortable. One such piece of supplemental equipment is the TRX® suspension training device available from Fitness Anywhere, LLC of San Francisco, Calif. The TRX® device is inelastic and requires the user to suspend his or her body weight, such as by as leaning or hanging from the device. However, these movements may put unwanted pressure on the user's joints and make the user unstable.
Generally, many exercises focus on one of resistance training or cardiovascular training. Resistance training is the collective term for various types of strength building exercises that cause the muscles to contract against an external resistance with the expectation of increases in strength, tone, mass, and/or endurance, which promote muscle growth. This approach makes use of different types of hydraulic or elastic action that involves resistance to being stretched, pulled, squeezed, or bent. Resistance training recruits agonist and antagonist muscles. Resistance training may be isotonic in design. This means that some part of the body is moving against some type of force, such as when attempting to stretch an exercise band. Training of this type may also involve exercises that are considered isometric, meaning that the body part is being subjected to a force while remaining still.
Resistance training works by breaking down the muscle cells, which in turn are quickly repaired by the body to help the muscles regenerate and grow stronger. The breakdown of the muscle fiber is called “catabolism”, and the repair and re-growth of the muscle tissue is called “anabolism”. Anabolic happens after you break down the muscle fibers with resistance exercise. Many biological processes of growth in the body require some breakdown, or catabolism, prior to re-growth. The concept behind resistance training is to continually manipulate and change the amount of force, the number of repetitions, and exercises used in order to achieve changes in your muscles. Lower resistance with higher repetitions will increase muscle endurance while higher resistance with less repetitions increases strength and muscle mass, the latter being the foundation of any muscle gaining program.
Multiple research studies demonstrate that resistance training has a positive relationship to health factors and fighting chronic disease and therefore should be an integral part of an exercise and weight management routine. Resistance training has been shown to be beneficial in the prevention and management of chronic conditions such as: low back pain; osteoporosis; loss of skeletal muscle mass that may accompany aging; diabetes; susceptibility to falls; impaired physical function in frail and elderly persons; and prevention of and rehabilitation from orthopedic injuries.
Cardio (cardiovascular) interval training, also known as high-intensity interval training (HIIT), is intense cardio exercise intended to burn fat and build lean muscle. In normal cardio exercise, an individual engages in some form of generally low-intensity exercise, such as jogging or biking, for an extended period of time with few, if any, breaks. Cardio interval training involved a different approach: short, high-intensity cardio exercises punctuated by short break.
Interval training includes anaerobic and aerobic activity, causing your heart and lungs to work harder, and giving you a results-oriented workout. Anaerobic refers to the high intensity point in your exercise, or when you are lacking oxygen. This is when stored glucose and fat are burned while your heart is working at 85 percent peak capacity. At this intensity level, your muscles are being forced to not rely on oxygen to fuel muscle contraction, and during this period, lactic acid is formed. Lactic acid causes your muscles to break down and fatigue, making your exercise intensity to eventually decrease. You know lactic acid is forming when the burning sensation takes over your muscles.
Aerobic refers to the recovery point in your cardio session, and it is when your body refuses on oxygen. This is the point in your exercise where your heart and lungs have to work extra hard to pay back that oxygen deficiency, and break down the lactic acid that was accumulated. During the aerobic state go your workout, you are building stamina. By having a recovery period throughout the workout, your body is able to exercise longer, leading to a gradual cardio improvement.
One of the main benefits of cardio interval training comes from a phenomenon called excess post exercise oxygen consumption, or EPOC. After exercise, the body continues to burn calories in an attempt to completely return to a healthy post-exercise resting equilibrium. Hormones must be returned to proper balance, cells must be repaired, energy stores must be replenished, and metabolism must be returned to a normal resting level. This process does occur after normal cardiovascular or aerobic exercises, but the effects are much stronger and longer-lasting after short, intense exercises. Essentially, this means that, for up to a day and a half after engaging varied, high-intensity workouts, the body will continue to burn calories at a slightly increased rate.
Improvements found from cardio training may include: weight loss; stronger heart and lung; increased bone density; reduced stress; reduced risk of heart disease and some types of cancer; better sleep; and increased energy.